‘What about Max? He’ll have to come too.’
‘Max?’ Nik frowned. ‘Who the hell’s Max?’
‘The dog that I almost ran over. I’m going to take him back to my flat.’
‘How do you know that’s his name?’
‘I don’t. But I have to call him something until I can return him to his owners. Mrs Jessop thinks he was abandoned, so maybe no one will claim him,’ Kezia added, unaware of the wistful note in her voice. She couldn’t bear the idea that the dog had been deliberately left by the roadside. ‘I’ll just run downstairs and collect him,’ she said, hurrying out of the room before Nik could argue.
She knew what it was like to feel unwanted, she acknowledged as she scooped the scruffy terrier into her arms. Her heart leapt with pleasure when he burrowed against her, and she was filled with a fierce determination to take care of him. Her mother had always freely admitted she’d never wanted children, and that Kezia’s unexpected arrival had been a shock. It wasn’t that her parents didn’t love her, she conceded, but they had been a professional couple in their forties when she was born, and had expected her to fit into their busy lifestyle. She had spent her childhood feeling that she needed to apologise for her existence, and her years at boarding school, although not unhappy, had reinforced her belief that she was a nuisance her parents didn’t quite know how to deal with.
The entrance hall was empty when she carried Max upstairs, but she spied her car keys on the table and for a moment contemplated making her escape. Not a good idea, she accepted ruefully, imagining Nik’s fury if she disobeyed him. From experience she knew it was pointless arguing with him when he had his mind set on something. He had made it clear that he intended to drive her home.
But as she waited for him she overheard voices from his study.
‘Why do you have to take her home?’ Tania’s petulant tones were clearly audible through the closed door. ‘For God’s sake, Nik, I haven’t seen you for a month. Why this sudden concern for your secretary? If it weren’t so laughable I’d almost believe you’ve got something going with her. I saw the way you kept looking at her tonight, but I can’t imagine what you see in her.’
‘Theos! Don’t be so ridiculous,’ came the terse reply. ‘She’s not my type. But Kezia’s an excellent assistant, she’s worked hard all night, and it’s my duty to see she gets home safely.’
Hastily Kezia stepped away from the door, swamped with misery and humiliation. She already knew she was far from Nik’s ideal woman, but to hear him state the fact quite so forcefully was agony. Never in a million years would she allow him to guess how she felt about him, she vowed fiercely. Her cheeks flamed as she recalled the stark disbelief in his voice that he could possibly find his PA attractive. It was obvious he regarded her as part of the furniture, as functional and unexciting as his computer. She must have imagined the exigent chemistry between them; it was just an illusion brought on by her wishful thinking.
She couldn’t bring herself to look at him when he joined her in the lobby a few minutes later, and she was silent as she followed him down the front steps. The rain stung her face, but she carefully placed Max on the narrow back seat of the sports car before climbing in next to Nik, wondering how he managed to fit his long legs behind the wheel.
In the confines of the small car he was too close. She caught the subtle tang of his aftershave, and suddenly the heater seemed to be working too well. She was burning up, but balked at the thought of fighting her way through her coat and instead stared stiffly out of the window as he turned out of the drive.
‘There was really no need for you to leave Miss Harvey,’ she muttered. ‘I feel awful for putting you to so much trouble.’
‘It’s not a problem,’ Nik assured her. He sounded disinterested. He was probably counting the minutes until he could join his mistress in bed, she thought bleakly, and fell silent for the rest of the journey.
Driving along the pitch-black country lanes required all Nik’s attention, but as they reached the outskirts of the busy market town where she lived he glanced briefly at Kezia. ‘Do you live alone?’
The query surprised them both. He’d never shown the slightest interest in her private life before. He had picked her up from home a couple of times, usually when they’d had an early flight, but she had always been waiting for him in the car park and had never invited him in. Did she have a boyfriend? he wondered. Was her lover waiting impatiently for her to return? He was irritated to realise how much he disliked the idea.
‘No, I share with a flatmate.’
Her ambiguous answer told him nothing, and pride prevented him from pushing the point. His secretary’s love-life was none of his business, he reminded himself impatiently. ‘I’ll pick you up in the morning,’ he informed her coolly.
‘There’s no need.’ Kezia’s head jerked round, her consternation evident in her wide eyes. ‘I don’t want you to have to get up early. What would Miss Harvey say?’ she muttered, blushing again as she pictured Nik struggling out of bed after a night of passion with his mistress, in order to collect her.
He turned into the small courtyard in front of her flat and cut the engine before turning to face her. ‘Why don’t you let me worry about the finer details of my private life?’ he drawled, in a tone that warned her to mind her own business. ‘I’ll be here at eight-thirty.’
Kezia opened her mouth to argue, caught the glint in his eyes and thought better of it. ‘Fine. Have it your own way. You usually do,’ she added under her breath as she climbed out of the car. She had only been trying to help, damn it. She certainly didn’t want to pry into his sex life. She lifted Max out of the car and smiled politely. ‘Thanks for bringing me home,’ she said stiffly, assuming that he would drive straight off, but as she ran up the steps to the communal front door he was right beside her, and she had to crane her neck to look up at him.
‘I’ll see you up,’ he said easily, and her temper, born from a mixture of embarrassment and misery, ignited.
‘For heaven’s sake, I’m perfectly all right. Miss Harvey will be wondering where you are,’ she couldn’t resist adding, and was mortified when he glanced down at her, his eyes gleaming with undisguised amusement.
‘I’ve already told you. I’ll take care of Tania.’
‘I’m sure you will.’ She opened the door to her flat and closed her mind to images of just how he would take care of his mistress. ‘Goodnight, Nik.’
‘Aren’t you going to offer me coffee before I drive back?’ He lolled in the doorway, one arm resting on the frame, so that she was aware of the inherent strength of his muscular chest. He exuded a powerful sensuality so intensely male that she rebelled at the thought of him invading her private bolthole. But a voice from behind her took the matter out of her hands.
‘Are you coming in or are you going to stand there all night? Oh—hello!’ The voice tailed to a breathless whisper, and Kezia sighed as she turned to find that her flatmate Anna was staring at Nik with wide, appreciative eyes. ‘You must be Mr Niarchou. Kezia has told me so much about you.’
‘Nik, please,’ Nik replied in a voice as thick as syrup. He held out his hand and Kezia’s impatience intensified. She had witnessed Anna working her magic countless times before, and doubted there was a man on the planet who would prove immune to her beauty. Slender and willowy, her delicate colouring and ash-blonde hair bore testament to her Scandinavian ancestry, while huge blue eyes and a surprisingly impish smile made her simply stunning. They had been best friends since their first day at boarding school, as close as sisters—although right now she could cheerfully strangle her flatmate, Kezia thought grumpily as she watched Nik fall under her spell.
‘Are you stopping, Nik?’ the pretty blonde murmured. It was an innocent enough query, but Kezia ground her teeth together as Nik gave one of his sexy smiles that made her toes curl.
‘I’m not sure.